Reporter's Diary

Press, 4 October 1977, Page 2

Reporter's Diary

Carlton’s past ROY O’MALLEY, whose family hos owned the Carlton Hotel for 50 years, has prepared a pictorial display of the old hotel’s history as his farewell gesture. It shows that the site has one of the longest pedigrees of any in Christchurch. Edward Gibbon Wakefield, whose theories of colonisation led to the settlement of Canterbury, selected Rural Section 6, on which the Carlton now stands, for himself when Christchurch was first surveyed off in 1851. A photographic enlargement of the title deed begins the display, which goes on to show that A. W. Money bought the comer site from Wakefield’s son, Edward Jerningham Wakefield, in 1863. There is a copy of the original notice announcing the opening of the hotel, a picture of the nearby toll house at the start of Papanui Road, a contemporary picture of the present corner building erected in 1902 for £4345, and many other pictures illustrating highlights of the hotel’s history. Mr O’Malley has sold the hotel to Inns of Canterbury (New Zealand Breweries and Ballins), which will take over next month. Pots of money BURNHAM Plunket’s "It’s in the Potty” quiz was a big success. It raised $483 for branch funds. The winner of the “Travel Potty” section w’as given the little chamber pot to take with him on his prize trip to Queenstown. He is an Army officer from Burnham camp and will have trouble explaining that small item of equipment to his batman. Dog carriage CASHMERE, both upper and lower, is dog country.

Every householder seems to have at least one pooch and the regular exercise routes are a hazard to young and old. Residents who do not own dogs have been heard to complain that some dogowners seem to put dogs before people — and a little procession in one suburban street on Sunday seemed to bear this out. First came a man accompanied by two little preschoolers toddling along beside him. Then came a woman pushing a babystroller. Reclining at his ease in the baby-stroller was a dog looking, what’s more, as if that was his customary mode of travel. ‘Home to Tibet’ LOWELL THOMAS, broadcaster and world traveller, has returned to Tibet at the head of a small party of Americans visiting the “heavenly kingdom” now ruled by China. David Broder of the “Washington Post,” reporting from Lhasa, Tibet, said that Thomas, aged 85, over-rode objections from Chinese doctors and officials ■who tried to persuade him not to risk his health in the 3900 m altitude. Thomas was supported by George Bush, the former United States envoy to Peking, who organised the trip and agreed to take personal responsibility for anything that might happen in Tibet. Thomas was known for years as "the last man to leave Tibet” before the Chinese annexed it. In 1949, he left the mountain kingdom on a litter with a broken hip caused by a fall from his horse. This week-end, he said that he was a mountaineer “going home” and he wanted to hofe” and he wanted to show his bride, Marianna, aged 49. the “heavenly kingdom” of the exiled Dalai Lama.

Rare coins

A PATTERN Waitangi crown of 1935, which may well be a unique coin, is among New Zealand and Australian coins, tokens, and paper currency to be offered for sale in an auction of rare coins by the Australian branch of Spinks’ in Sydney on October 27. Only one other pattern is known to exist in private hands. This one is the first to be offered for sale. It is expected to fetch $lO,OOO. A New Zealand collector is also the owner of the most valuable single coin in the acution — a Port Phillip Kangaroo Office half ounce of 1853. One of the world’s rarest gold coins, it is expected to fetch more than $20,000, although the auctioneers say that an American coin of the same rarity would realise five times as much. Souvenirs AT LEAST one of the tiny newspapers which have come to light recently seems to be no mystery. Several callers identify the November 14, 1922, issue of the old Christchurch “Sun” as a souvenir novelty produced at the time of the New Zealand Industrial Exhibition in Christchurch. Mrs Edna Willett, of Papanui, remembers seeing the small facsimile editions being printed in a miniature printing press at the exhibition. She thinks it was at the King Edward Barracks. Autumn clue 'A COLLEAGUE who was fortunate enough to be in-

vited on an Air New Zealand inaugural flight to Honolulu was given the inevitable shopping list to put in his luggage. The list was very moderate — all his wife wanted was a couple of lengths of dress material. Our man eventually tore himself away from the golden sands of Waikiki and headed for giant Sears Roebuck store. But there was more to dress-length shopping than he had bargained for. Hundreds of bolts of fabric of every texture, pattern, and hue stretched down the aisles into the distance. He sensibly asked for help and a very obliging woman checked his shopping list, showed him samples of this and that, and finally recommended two lengths which seemed excellent choices. She had spent nearly half-an-hour with this customer but when he said that he would take both lengths, thanks very much, she confessed that she was not a shop assistant at all — just a helpful fellow tourist from Hamilton, Ontario. The embarrassed man realises now that he should have twigged when she knew at once what he meant by “autumn tonings.” It’s summer all year round in Hawaii. Brushed off A PORCUPINE called Percy who lives in a Yorkshire zoo has fallen in love with a broom head after having his amorous advances rejected by three female porcupines. According to a zoo worker, he goes crazy whenever he sees it. —Garry Arthur